Circularity – doing more with less

The circular economy is a win-win for the environment and the construction industry

Within our global economy fewer than 10% of our resources are being reused. When buildings are no longer viable, only 40% of that construction waste is recycled or reused. By adopting circular business strategies that integrate sustainability factors alongside economic ones, you not only help minimize your impact on the environment but also ensure the long-term success of your company.

The current state of global waste generation

2 billion

tons of waste generated per year
The world creates around 2 billion tons of waste each year, with this number expected to rise.

300 million

tons of plastic waste per year
This is in addition to the 54 million tons of electronic waste produced per year, of which only 17.4% is recycled.

1/3 waste

produced globally per year
1/3 of all waste globally is produced by the construction industry.

180 kilos

packaging waste per year
The average European citizen produces almost 180 kilos of packaging waste in a year.

Why circularity?

Maximize value by reducing resource use throughout your building projects

As opposed to the linear economy model, which focuses on profitability, the circular economy focuses on generating maximum value from a minimum use of raw materials and resources. With our help, your business can do more with less all along the supply chain. From the planning phase, where our software and services can help you optimize your designs to reduce waste, to the construction phase where our tools and support systems have been designed to be reused, all the way to our recycled content. You can even get personalised reporting on your collection, reuse and recycling efforts.

Reduce Wasteful overbuying

Our equipment management solutions help streamline your tool crib

Our Fleet Management usage model helps build circularity into your sustainability journey. It helps ensure you have only the power tools you need, reducing resource consumption while streamlining your operations. 

With ON!Track, our asset management software, you can identify idle or lost assets as you move from project to project.

Need something for just a few days or weeks? Don't buy it – use our Tools on Demand service instead.You'll always get high-quality tools that last longer, and our local repair centers work to extend their lives even more. If your tools are still productive at the end of the agreement, you decide if you want to extend their contract.

Waste not want not

Where possible we'll reuse spare parts from tools you no longer need

It's a seamless process: we'll collect power tools, batteries and accessories from you for free, wherever you are in the world. We'll even take our competitors' tools and batteries.

But what happens to them? Some tools that are functionally equivalent to new join our rental pool, offsetting the need to manufacture and transport new equipment. Others are donated for non-intensive use by humanitarian and educational organizations. Components that meet our high-quality standards are reused by our repair centers. In fact, the reuse of spare parts from returned power tools is now up to 120,000 per year, saving about 90 tons of electronics, motors and rotors per year. Whatever's left goes to our recycling partners.

Recycle virtually indefinitely

What we can't reuse, we'll try to recycle

Tools or components that can't be reused are handled by our audited global recycling partners.

We take responsibility for our products throughout their lifetime. Much of a typical tool's mass is high-quality metals that can be recycled virtually indefinitely for various applications, and though we achieve a high level of non-thermal recycling in our markets, we're continuing to work with our recycling partners to increase yield even more.

Our circularity journey

50 %

of a Hilti tool's mass is recycled material
We're reducing raw virgin material use by increasing the amount of recycled steel and plastic in our products.

13 thousands

tools, batteries and accessories were collected by Hilti in 2020
Support circularity by letting us collect your expired tools for free. We'll find ways to reuse or recycle them.

81 %

of all collected material was recycled for material reuse
We're constantly improving our recovery rates thanks to innovations in sorting and processing technology.

1,929 tons

of material was extracted through recycling
We're working to ensure high levels of steel, copper and aluminum re-enter international commodity cycles.

An industry-first: measuring circularity

Unlike with CO2, there is no internationally recognized way to measure circularity. So alongside the BCG and Circle Economy, we have developed the new CIRCelligence method. We can now evaluate an entire product portfolio on a yearly basis, based on how well circularity has been implemented. Our calculations cover areas such as recycled materials, product design, production methods, how we manage our tools, and what happens at the end of a product's life cycle.

More sustainable together

Discover solutions designed to help you reduce your carbon footprint while still ensuring the sustainable growth of your business into the future.

Explore sustainable solutions

Green building solutions

Invest in innovative construction solutions to help you deliver certified, sustainable building projects.

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Take control of your tool crib costs

Streamline financial planning with Fleet Management. A fixed monthly fee covers all your tools including their use, service and repair costs.

Discover Fleet Management